There is one word on a sparkling wine label that tells you almost everything about how it will taste, and it is the most misunderstood word in the shop: sweetness. Here is the whole ladder, from bone dry to dessert.

The terms below follow the European labeling rules, which are used on Champagne and many other sparkling wines. The figure in brackets is the sugar allowed, in grams per litre. You do not need to remember the numbers, only the order.

  1. Brut Nature

    Driest. 0 to 3 g/l, no sugar added.

    Sharp, crisp and mineral. Pour it with: oysters, raw fish, sushi.

  2. Extra Brut

    Very dry. 0 to 6 g/l.

    A touch softer than Brut Nature, still very precise. Pour it with: shellfish, white fish, salty snacks.

  3. Brut

    Dry. Up to 12 g/l. The most common style.

    The all-rounder. Pour it with: fried food, soft cheese, a party.

  4. Extra Dry

    Off-dry. 12 to 17 g/l.

    The trap: it is sweeter than Brut, not drier. Gentle ripe fruit. Pour it with: brunch, fruit, mild curries.

  5. Sec

    Medium sweet. 17 to 32 g/l.

    Round and fruity. Pour it with: fruit tarts, light pastries.

  6. Demi-Sec

    Sweet. 32 to 50 g/l.

    Honeyed and soft. Pour it with: vanilla cake, wedding cake, fruit desserts.

  7. Doux

    Sweetest. More than 50 g/l. Rare today.

    A dessert in a glass. Pour it with: very sweet puddings, or on its own.

The one rule for dessert

The wine should be at least as sweet as the dessert. If it is not, the wine tastes sour and thin. That is why a Brut Champagne with wedding cake can feel disappointing, and why Demi-Sec was made for it.

Reading a Prosecco label

Prosecco uses similar words, but the usual ones you will see are Brut, Extra Dry and Dry. As with Champagne, Extra Dry is slightly sweeter than Brut.

Sugar ranges follow the standard European sparkling-wine categories and can differ in other regions. Please drink responsibly.